Basket Weaving Workshop
28 June 2025 from 9:30am to 4:30pm
Join us at Bloominglabs to learn to weave your own wooden baskets!
This workshop is open to members and non-members alike, as long as you are 12 years old or older. We chose baskets that are especially good for beginners.
The workshop will be offered in two sessions:
- a beginner-friendly market basket in the morning
- a more-advanced round basket in the afternoon
You may register for one session, the other, or both. If you have never woven a basket before, we recommend that you do the market basket, either on its own or with the round basket.
Sign up
Sign up for the market basket using this link.
Sign up for the round basket using this link.
Schedule
9:00am: Scouts' Briefing
If you are a scout working on your basketry merit badge, show up early (at 9am) to get the safety lecture and basket identification activity you will need for your badge. This workshop will cover basket identification, your round basket, and your square basket. After that, you will only need to weave a camp stool to finish your badge. Let us know if you are interested in the camp stool for a future workshop.
9:30am--12:30pm: The Market Basket
This basket is a great first basket for new weavers. Its bottom is 10" by 10". The sides of the basket are 8" high, and the basket is 14" tall including the handle. It's a nice, sturdy basket to use when you go out to the farmer's market, the library, or to your back yard garden.
Most people will finish this basket in three hours, but if you want some extra time, then bring a packed lunch and work during the lunch hour.
The cost for Bloominglabs members to make this basket is $50. The cost for non-members is $65. All materials are included, and we provide the tools you'll need during the workshop. You'll go home with a completed basket you can use and show off for years to come.
12:30pm--1:30pm: Lunch
We'll have a one-hour lunch break between the morning and afternoon session. Lunch is not provided, so bring a packed lunch or plan to go out somewhere nearby. If you bring a packed lunch, that gives you the option to work on your Market Basket longer should you need to.
1:30pm--4:30pm: The Round Basket
This round basket is a cute way to store your odds and ends on any desk or table. Some people even drop in a pot and use it to show off their favorite house plant. It's a little more complicated than the Market Basket, so if you are totally new to basket weaving, do the Market Basket first to learn some basics that will make this basket more approachable. This basket is 5" high with a 7" diameter.
The cost for Bloominglabs members to make this basket is $35. The cost to non-members is $45. All materials are included, and we provide the tools you'll need during the workshop. You'll go home with a completed basket you can use and show off for years to come.
About the Workshop
Basket weaving is a fun and relaxing hobby that leaves you with a beautiful and useful object to keep or share. This workshop will take you through one beginner basket (the market basket) and one more complex one (the round basket). These baskets will hold together through years of use, without any plastic, nails, or fasteners, thanks to weaving techniques that date back thousands of years.
What to Wear and Bring
Dress comfortably, with a top you don't mind getting splashed or dripped with water. The reed will be very wet as we work with it; that's what keeps it pliable.
Bring a bottle of water. It's a long workshop and we'll be wetting down the baskets as we work anyway, so you don't have to worry about spills!
Everything else you will need is provided for by your workshop fee.
If You Pack a Lunch
While you can go out for lunch during our one-hour lunch break, you may want to pack a lunch instead. This gives you more flexibility to keep working if your market basket isn't quite finished, and we'll have a communal space to eat together where we won't get anything on the baskets. It can be a great way to get to know your classmates.
Instructors
Laurel Sons is a retired elementary school teacher and present-day quilter who also loves to weave baskets and rugs, play with her grandchildren, and garden. She's been weaving baskets for over 30 years.
Susan Sons has also been weaving for over 30 years. By day, she runs a small cybersecurity company. In her free time, Susan paints, hacks on FOSS, collects and writes with fountain pens, and hikes.
Yes, we're mother and daughter. Yes, everyone has already told us we look alike.
Have questions?
Reach out to Susan Sons at hedgemage@binaryredneck.net with questions (or ping HedgeMage on the Bloominglabs Slack instance).
